The process of creating the rune requires 16 to 35 minutes (d20+15), of which the first ten minutes are spent contemplating the rune and the surface into which it is to be carved activation is generally immediate or at least quickly accomplished-in most cases, the caster carves the rune and activates it immediately, but many runes may be activated at need later. Still others must be carved to order, such as the shout rune which opens locks into which the rune is etched. Some may be carved in advance and carried for activation as needed, such as the strength rune which is activated by driving the enspelled stake into the ground and activating to grant increased strength to a pre-determined individual for several hours. A few of these runes may be carved to give magical properties to objects over a long term, such as the shield rune which causes a wood shield to bonus saving throws. To cast a rune, the character must carve it on a specific object, and then activate it. This would create a character class comparable to a ranger at most levels.) (Because of the disparity between the power of runes and that of other magic-using classes, the referee may wish to consider making them a fighter sub-class, allowing them multiple attacks but not weapon specialization. In addition to using any weapons and armor (although initially limited to those available in the viking milieu), they carve mystic ' runes' which perform magic abilities, and are regarded a sub-class of the cleric. Intelligence and Wisdom are the class' prime requisites. Runecasters must have a Wisdom of 15, Intelligence of 14, and Strength of 11. DM's who don't have the Viking materials will not want to include this class in their campaigns. However, unless the DM is running a limited Viking milieu campaign (thus eliminating most other spell casters), he might consider shifting this description in a few simple ways.

Your contribution via Patreon or PayPal Me keeps this site and its author alive.Īlthough described in the text as 'rare and fearsome warriors', runecasters in fact come across as weak clerics. The second edition class from the Viking materials is easily integrated into a first edition campaign.

AD&D Character Class: Runecaster First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™ Character Creation

D&d 2nd edition classes